History of Buddha

Going back to the sixth century B.C. Northern India at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains did not form a single Sovereign state. The country was divided into many states, some large, some small. Of these, some were monarchical and some non-monarchical. The monarchical states were altogether sixteen in number. They were known by the names of Anga, Magadha, Kasi, Kosala, Vriji, Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Saursena, Asmaka, Avanti, Gandhara and Kambhoja. The non-monarchical states were those of the Sakyas of Kapilvastu, the Malla of Pava and Kushinara, the Lichhavis of Vaisali, the Vedehas of Mithila, the Koliyas of Ramagam, the Bilis of Allakapa, the Kalingas of Resaputta, the Mauriyas of Pipphalvana and the Bhaggas with their capital on Sumsumara Hill. There were many ruling families in the Sakyas of Kapilvastu and they ruled the kingdom in turns. The head of the kingdom was known as Raja or King. At that time it was the turn of Suddhodana to rule the kingdom or state. The capital of the Sakyas was the city called Kapilvastu.

Suddhodana was married to Mahamaya; daughter of Anjana residing in the village called Devadaha. Suddhodana was a wealthy person and a man of great prowess. When Suddhodana had shown his martial prowess, he was allowed to take a second wife and he chose Mahaprajapati, the elder sister of Mahamaya. Suddhodana lived quite a luxurious life and had many palaces.
One night, Mahamaya while asleep had a very strange dream. In the next morning, Mahamaya told her dream to Suddhodana. She did not know how to interpret the dream. Suddhodana summoned eight wise men, which were most famous in divination, to the palace to find out the meaning of the dream. The wise men said, " Be not anxious. You will have a son, and if he leads a householder's life he will become a universal monarch, and if he leaves his home and goes forth into a homeless state, and becomes a sanyasi, he will become a Buddha, a dispeller of illusions in the world". Mahamaya as her time of delivery was due, desired to go to her parents' home for delivery. Suddhodana arranged everything possible to make her journey pleasant. She was carried in a royal palanquin and was accompanied by many attendants all beautifully dressed and sparkling jewels.

On the way, they had to pass a forest and some lovely gardens called Lumbini. When all they arrived at this delightful place, Mahamaya thought that she would like to rest for a while in the cool shade of sal tree. Apleasant wind, not too strong, was blowing and the boughs of the trees were heaving up and down and Mahamaya felt like catching one of them. Luckily one of the bough heaved down sufficiently low to enable her to catch it. So she rose on her toes and caught the bough. Immediately, its upward movement lifted her up and being shaken, she felt the pangs of childbirth. While holding the branch of the sal tree she was delivered of a son in a standing position. It was the full moon day (Paurnima Day) in the month of Vaishaka (May) (563 B.C.). The whole party returned to Kapilvastu, where the new baby was greeted with great rejoicing. The baby was very beautiful. His skin was the colour of gold and his eyes were lovely deep, violet blue. His hair was black and his whole body and limbs were perfectly formed.
On the fifth day the ceremony of name giving took place. The name for the child was chosen Siddharth. His clan name was Gautama and therefore he came to be called Siddharth Gautama. In the midst of rejoicing over the birth and the naming of the child, Mahamaya suddenly fell ill and died. Siddharth was only seven days old child. Mahaprajapati, after the death of Mahamaya, looked after and brought up Siddharth as if he was her own son. Siddharth had a younger brother by name Nanda, the son of Suddhodana born to Mahaprajapati, and also several cousins. Siddharth grew up in their company. He grew up to be handsome, tall and strong and very good in his studies. At the age of eight Siddharth started his education under those eight wise persons whom Suddhodana had invited to interpret the dream of Mahamaya and who had predicted his future. He learned many subjects befitting the prince. At the same time, he was gentle and kind, well mannered and loved by his people.

Siddharth was very kind to animals. One day, he went to his father's farm. During recess he was resting under a tree enjoying the peace and beauty of nature. While so seated, a bird fell down from the sky just in front of him. The bird had been shot at by an arrow, which had pierced its body and was fluttering about, in great agony. Siddharth ran to it first and gently removed the arrow, dressed its wound and gave it water to drink. Siddharth was wondering who could have shot this innocent bird. It was known later on that his cousin Devadatta shot the bird and the bird belonged to him. "Had you killed it, it would have been yours. It is only wounded and I saved its life, so it is mine", said Siddharth. They finally decided to go a court of wise men to settle the matter. The court decided that a life belongs to the one who saves it and not to the one who tries to destroy it. So Siddharth had the right to take the bird. Devadatta was very angry and became his permanent enemy. But Siddharth Gautama's spirit of compassion was so great that he preferred to save the life of the innocent bird to securing the goodwill of his cousin. Such were the traits of character found in the early life of Siddharth Gautama. The king, Suddhodana of Kapilvastu, therefore, ordered in the kingdom that the prince, Siddharth Gautama should be surrounded only by the happy and beautiful aspects of life. Old and sick people were kept out of his sight. Death was not mentioned to him. The king provided every luxury for the prince. Three palaces were built for the three seasons of the year, the hot season, the rainy season and cool months of the winter. These palaces had beautiful gardens laid out with fountains and ponds full of fish, swans and water-lilies. Dancing girls and musicians entertained him.
In these surroundings, Siddharth grew up to be a young man of great strength and beauty. He was now of an age to marry. He had completed his sixteenth year and therefore his parents were anxious to get him married. There was a Sakya by name Dandapani. He had a daughter named Yeshodhara well known for her beauty and for her 'sila'. She was also reached her sixteenth year and Dandapani was thinking about her marriage. According to custom Dandapani sent invitations to young men of all the neighbouring kingdoms for proposals of marriage of his daughter. An invitation was also sent to Siddharth Gautama. From among the young men Yeshodhara's choice fell on Siddharth Gautama. Siddharth Gautama passed a test of skill in archery as it was prescribed for selection of Siddharth Gautama and thereafter the marriage took place. Siddharth Gautama and Yeshodhara lived in great splendour in a new palace surrounded by everything delightful and pleasant. After a long term of married life Yeshodhara gave birth to a son. He was named Rahula.

As time went by, the palace with all its luxuries and amusements made Siddharth bored and restless. Also, all the efforts of King Suddhodana to make his son worldly minded only increase the prince's curiosity to see the world outside. So, one day summoned the royal charioteer, Channa, to take him for a drive on the outskirts of the palace. Channa chose a beautiful chariot by white horses and went out of palace. While going out, Siddharth saw an old man on first day, saw a sick man on other day and on a third day he saw a funeral procession pass by. Channa explained the meaning of each occurrence and told the prince that the death is the end of life and that is common to all who are born. Siddharth felt almost ill at this realisation and started going back to the palace. On their way back they were met by another unaccustomed sight. It was a man wearing a yellow robe and whose head was shaved. His calm and peaceful appearance impressed the Prince, Siddharth. Channa explained that this was a sage, one who had given up home and family to find a way to end suffering. Siddharth had now seen the four special signs, which would change his life as predicted by the sages and wise men at his birth.

The King, Suddhodana was deeply grieved that all the precautions he had taken, had failed to protect his son from knowing the unhealthy circumstances. However, he hoped that Siddharth would not leave his wife and a son Rahula. He was always thinking of becoming a peaceful calm person whom he saw in the street, dressed in yellow, seeking the way to end suffering. Amidst comfort and prosperity, he realised the universality of suffering. The palace, with all its worldly amusements was no longer a peaceful place for the compassionate prince. The time was ripe for him to depart. Realising the vanity of sensual enjoyments, with a heavy heart but with strong determination, in his twenty-ninth year, he renounced all worldly pleasures and donning the simple yellow garb of an ascetic, alone, wandered forth in search of the truth and peace.

It was an unprecedented historic renunciation; for he renounced not in his old age but in the prime of manhood, not in poverty but in plenty. He went to Alara Kalama and Uddaka, well known teachers of the time. Siddharth studied very hard, until, one day Alara said "I have nothing more to tech you. You are equal to me now. So, he continued his search with other teachers and not being satisfied, wandered alone once again. At this stage, he joined five other ascetics. Their names were Kondanna, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama and Assaji. They, together, practised self-control and self-mortification, that is, going without the normal needs of food and rest, sleeping on the hard ground and generally leading very uncomfortable and hard life. They believed that to become spiritually pure, one had to torture the body. As it was the belief in the ancient days that no deliverance could be gained unless one leads a life of strict asceticism, he strenuously practiced all forms of severe austerities. "adding vigil after vigil, and penance after penance," he made a superhuman efforts for six long years. His body was reduced to almost skeleton.

He returned to the shade of a tree at Gaya and with complete faith in himself, started to meditate. He resolved, " I shall not move from here until I have attained full enlightenment", and he spent the whole evening in this meditation posture. Many thoughts came to distract him from his goal, but he was not tempted. With determined will, he continued to meditate until his mind became pure and clear. Next day happy morning, while he was deeply absorbed in meditation, unaided and unguided by any supernatural power and sole relying on his efforts and wisdom, he eradicated all defilements, purified himself and realising things as they truly are, attained enlightenment (Boddhahood, the Buddha). The search of six long years had ended. It was a day when full moon shone, casting a bright silver light on the whole countryside, a day in the month of Vaishaka (May). This day is still known as Bouddha Pournima in India. The Buddha was thirty-five years old and for a week, following enlightenment, he sat under the tree enjoying the state of perfect happiness he had achieved. The tree later became known as the tree of enlightenment or the Bodhi tree and the place is known as Buddha Gaya. He spent further six weeks near the tree. He was not born a Buddha, but became a Buddha (an awakened or enlightened one) by his own striving. At the end of seventh week, he decided to teach the Doctrine (the Dhamma) he had discovered. As the perfect embodiment of all the virtues, he preached, endowed with deep wisdom commensurate with his boundless compassion. For the next forty-five years, Siddharth Gautama Buddha devoted his precious life to serve humanity both by example and precept, dominated by no personal motive whatever. He walked with his monks in northern and eastern India teaching the Dhamma. Kings, noblemen and wealthy merchants generously donated monasteries and parks in which he and his monks could live.

The aged Buddha was passing away. He became ill near Kusinara in Uttar Predesh. While he lay in a grove of sal trees, he addressed the monks round him, " All things decay. Be mindful, be righteous and be vigilant. Be lamps unto yourselves. Transient are all component things. Therefore, strive earnestly to attain perfection". These were the Buddha's last words. The Buddha passed away at the age of eighty. The Buddha was a human being. As a man he was born, as a man he lived, and as a man his life came to an end. There was to be no more birth or death for him. The day was again full moon day in the month of Vaishak. His relics found their way to many Buddhist countries to be treasured and revered for all time.

Buddha | Blessing Form